By Owen Boss
Staff Writer
NORTHAMPTON - A local man was arrested Tuesday night and charged with a fifth drunken-driving offense after another motorist noticed him struggling to operate his moped on Pine Street, police said.
William H. Tenney, 61, of 421 N. Main St., failed to appear at his arraignment in Northampton District Court Tuesday morning, and a warrant for his arrest was issued to local police that, according to the clerk magistrate, wasn't executed by the time court closed at 4:30 p.m.
Tenney, who lives at the VA Medical Center in Leeds, faces charges of operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol, fifth offense; operating a motor vehicle with a revoked license and operating a motor vehicle while in possession of an open container of alcohol.
At 5:50 p.m., officer Patrick Moody and officer Joseph Golec responded to a call from a motorist on Pine Street who reported that a man in front of her on a moped appeared to be heavily intoxicated, had fallen off the vehicle and was struggling to get back onto it, according to court documents.
After questioning Tenney and detecting a strong odor of alcohol on his breath, police reportedly conducted a series of field sobriety tests and were able to determine that he was under the influence of alcohol, according to a police report. A further search of the moped, Moody reported, uncovered a partially consumed bottle of vodka hidden in a compartment under the seat.
During booking, Tenney submitted to a Breathalyzer test and his blood alcohol content was reportedly measured at .18 percent, more than two times the legal limit, according to court documents.
Tenney was convicted of operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol in Nashua, N.H., in June and December of 1989; in Concord, N.H., in December of 1992; and in Lowell in June of 1996.
If convicted, Tenney will lose his right to operate a motor vehicle for the rest of his life and will face a mandatory 2½-year jail sentence.
Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com.
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